S.U.R.F.ing in the USA: Summer Research at Purdue

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There are many options of how to use your summers while you are in college. Many engineers will opt to look for an internship and gain work experience in industry. However, the path that is sometimes less traveled but equally as valuable is pursuing undergraduate research experiences either at a different institution or right on your home campus. This summer I participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at Purdue where I conducted research under my current advisor in the School of Materials Engineering.

A typical day: there isn’t one

Under the SURF program, you work on your research project for 40 hours per week like you would a full-time job. However, it’s hard to describe a “typical day” when doing work that doesn’t have a predictable and definite answer–which is why we even do cutting-edge research in the first place. Some days things might be going really well and you knock out tests for 5 different experiments. Other days, you spend all your time overcoming one specific experimental roadblock before you can proceed with anything else. It just depends!

For my research, I met weekly with my industry sponsor, my professor, and my graduate student mentor to make sure I was on a good path with what I was doing in the lab. I also attended group meetings with the rest of my research group to learn from them and hear about their progress on what they were also doing in the lab. SURF also provides professional development workshops to help us with the research project like writing a literature review, preparing for a symposium presentation, and writing an abstract to name a few. They also had seminars that focused on applying to graduate school and what you can do with a research-based degree.

Why I enjoyed my summer research experience

Even though my days were a little more unpredictable, I had the freedom to work in the way that gave me the most balance. I made sure I was getting the work I needed to do and still have time to do other things like attend my swim team practice, go for long bike rides, and hang out with my friends who were still on campus. This autonomy also helped me feel like my project and my days were my own. As long as I got the work done, I could manage my time however I felt which felt less like I was being controlled by a 9-5 schedule.

My research group is one of the reasons why I have continued to stay in research after this summer. My professor who runs my lab treats me with a lot of respect and as if I were one of her graduate students. I have absolutely loved building a professional relationship with an incredible professor. Her support of my development as a researcher has made me feel so encouraged that I have continued to work in her research group. Summer research allows you to build a relationship with your professor without the distractions from classes and other school-year responsibilities.

Why do research? Because it’s important!

When you are sitting in a lab for hours on end, you often ask yourself the question “why am I doing this”? Research sometimes has the reputation of being too theoretical, exploring concepts whose applications won’t be discovered until 20 years down the line. However, in choosing the right lab and the right projects, you will find out how much of an impact your research actually has. I was fortunate enough that my SURF project had an industry sponsor, so I knew how my research would be applied in their company in the future. It was rewarding to know that what I was working on in the lab is really going to help a lot of people after I finished the project. You might not even realize the impact you are making with the research that you do!

For even more information about undergraduate research, be on the lookout for an upcoming reel and post on another SURF student experience!


Becca Jennings, MSE '24

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